Liam''s Perspective


    The world slowed around me. Each painful breath stretched like eternity. Dudley Lowell''s hand remained clenched around my throat, his fingers digging into my skin.


    His expression twisted with disgust. "Pathetic. How did someone like you ever think—"


    I seized my moment. His arrogance had created a split-second opening in his defense.


    My hand shot up, grabbing his wrist. Not to break free—but to hold him in ce.


    "What are you—" His eyes widened.


    My other hand mmed into his elbow joint. The crack echoed across the tform. His grip loosened instantly.


    Before he could recover, Iunched forward. My palm struck his chest. The impact sent him stumbling back.


    "You dare?" Rage contorted his features.


    I pressed my advantage,nding a vicious blow to his jaw. Then another. And another. Each strike precise, calcted.


    "How—" Blood sprayed from his lips.


    I grabbed his cor and delivered five consecutive ps across his face. Each impact sounded like thunder.


    The crowd gasped. The mighty Dudley Lowell, bloodied by my hands.


    His eyes zed with murderous intent. "ENOUGH!"


    ck light erupted from his body. Not energy—something more primal. It looked like living ink, spreading across his skin in pulsing patterns.


    The transformation was immediate. His muscles bulged. Veins protruded beneath his skin. The air around him distorted from raw power.


    "You''ve forced my hand," he snarled. "The Midnight Demon Form."


    He moved with renewed speed, driving his fist into my stomach. The blow lifted me off my feet.


    I crashed down ten yards away, coughing violently. My ribs screamed in protest.


    "This is my true strength," Dudley announced. "Few have seen it and lived."


    His body flickered, disappearing from sight. I barely raised my guard before he materialized beside me.


    His kick connected with my ribs. More cracking sounds. Fresh pain exploded through my chest.


    I tumbled across the tform but managed to roll to my feet. Blood streamed from my mouth.


    Dudleyughed. "Still standing? Impressive stubbornness."


    Sample from My Virtual Library Empire—read more on M&VLEMPY&R.


    I wiped the blood from my lips. "Call it whatever you want."


    "Let''s test your limits then." His ink-ck aura expanded.


    We collided at the center of the tform. Our fists met with earth-shattering force. The stone beneath us cracked further, spiderwebbing outward.


    I matched his speed now, trading blow for blow. My fist connected with his jaw. His elbow mmed into my chest. My knee drove into his side. His foot swept my legs.


    We broke apart, both breathing heavily. Blood ran from cuts on his face. My golden armor had partially reformed, flickering weakly across my body.


    "You''ve improved," he admitted grudgingly. "But you''re still just a Grandmaster facing a half-step Marquis."


    He was right. Each exchange drained me more than him. My muscles burned with exhaustion. My broken ribs made each breath agony.


    Dudley sensed my weakness. He pressed forward, unleashing a barrage of strikes. I blocked most but took several brutal hits.


    A vicious punch connected with my temple. My vision blurred. I staggered back, fighting to stay conscious.


    "Starting to understand the difference between us?" Dudley taunted.


    He appeared behind me. His fist hammered into my kidney. Pain exploded through my lower back. My legs nearly buckled.


    I spun, countering with a desperate strike. He caught my wrist effortlessly.


    "Too slow." He twisted sharply.


    The snap of bone was audible. White-hot pain shot up my arm. I couldn''t suppress a grunt of agony.


    Dudley released my broken wrist, watching me stumble back. "This is mercypared to what''sing."


    The power difference between us was clear now. Despite everything I''d learned, everything I''d gained—he still outmatched me.


    But I refused to fall.


    "Why won''t you just die?" Frustration edged his voice.


    "Because I can''t." I straightened despite the pain. "Too many people are counting on me."


    Something changed in his eyes. Not just anger now—fear.


    "You really could be dangerous," he said quietly. "If you survived. If you grew stronger."


    Understanding dawned on me. This wasn''t just about the Hydrating Tower anymore. Dudley Lowell feared what I might be.


    His expression hardened. "I can''t allow that risk."


    He stepped back, his ck aura expanding dramatically. The temperature around us plummeted. Frost formed on the broken stone.


    "Four Symbols Demonic Seal." His voice carried a terrible finality. "A technique I''ve used only twice before."


    From the observation hill, I heard Jackson Harding''s sharp intake of breath. "He''s going for a killing move. That technique could level this entire area."


    Dudley spread his arms wide. Four massive ck symbols materialized around him, each pulsing with malevolent energy.


    "The turtle, the dragon, the phoenix, the tiger," Dudley intoned. "Ancient guardians corrupted to serve darkness."


    The symbols began to rotate, gaining speed. The air itself became heavy, pressing down on me like a physical weight.


    I tried to move forward but couldn''t. The pressure was immense.


    ck chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around my ankles and wrists. They pulled tight, forcing me to my knees.


    "This is your end, Liam Knight." Dudley''s voice had changed, carrying otherworldly resonance. "No escape. No salvation."


    The rotating symbols elerated further. Their ck light illuminated the entire tform.


    "I''ll make it quick," he promised. "A mercy you don''t deserve."


    My muscles strained against the chains. They held firm. Blood trickled from where they cut into my skin.


    The pressure increased. Breathing became nearly impossible. My ribs felt on the verge of copse.


    Dudley Lowell raised his hands. The four symbols began to merge together, forming a single catastrophic seal.


    "Die knowing you never had a chance," he said.


    I closed my eyes, gathering my remaining strength. Not to break free—that was impossible now.


    But to counter with everything I had.


    "Cosmic Form," I whispered.


    A divine seal activated within my body. Energy surged through my meridians, igniting every cell.


    My skin began to glow. Not the usual golden light of my Saintly Body Skill—something deeper, more primal.


    On the observation hill, Jackson Harding stood abruptly. "Impossible! That''s—"


    The chains binding me groaned under sudden strain. Cracks appeared in the links. The pressure bearing down on me wavered.


    Dudley''s eyes widened. "What—"


    My body began to transform. Light poured from within me, pushing back the darkness of his technique.


    "How?" Panic edged Dudley''s voice. "You can''t possibly—"


    The first chain shattered. Then another. Power surged through me, ancient and overwhelming.


    Dudley Lowell stared in disbelief as I slowly rose to my feet. My broken bones knitted together. My wounds closed before his eyes.


    "No," he whispered. "This isn''t possible."


    But it was happening. The Cosmic Form—my ultimate technique—was finally unleashing its true potential.